Another week pa.s.sed by, busier than the last. Adam had stopped making it back in time for dinner in recent days. If Elle wanted to see him her best bet was to stay over at his place; which is exactly what she began doing.
This night in particular Elle had dozed off while waiting for him to return. She had been sprawled out on the big living room sofa. She didn"t remember falling asleep but she must have dozed off at some point because the next thing she knew she was being lulled out of her sleep by the feeling of being scooped up by a pair of strong and familiar arms and by the gentle sway of his long strides.
"You"re home?" She murmured, her words slurred by her sleepiness.
"If you"re going to sleep here at least sleep in the bed." Adam chastised her. Even while half asleep she could make out the worry that seeped into his voice.
"I wanted to wait for you." She replied as she wrapped her arms around his neck and burrowed her face against his chest.
"You"ll get sick if you sleep out here. You should wait for me in the bed at least."
"If I wait for you there you wouldn"t wake me up when you come home. You even leave before I get up most mornings. I"d never see you."
Adam had no reply to that. He didn"t like it but she was right.
"I"ll wake you up when I get home so from now on please sleep properly until I"m back."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
"Fine." Elle conceded.
Adam tucked her into bed before heading into the bathroom to wash up. By the time her got out Elle had already fallen back asleep. Adam let out a tired sigh and then got in the bed beside her.
Even in her sleep Elle seemed to sense his presence. She turned over and snuck into his arms, snuggling against the warmth of his chest.
Adam smiled and wrapped both arms around her. He couldn"t imagine how he managed before he met her. He couldn"t imagine any pleasure that could have previously been derived from coming home late to an empty house and a cold bed. In her warm embrace he quickly fell into a gentle and peaceful sleep.
Peaceful was the opposite of how Amelia had been the past few days. Since she decided not to give up on Adam she had been busy reformulating her approach. She also knew Adam well; they had known each other for many years now.
It was a busy season for MK. If she could spend more time with him than Elle did, and if she could be useful to him, then perhaps she could have a chance of swaying his heart. Amelia, who had a clever mind, finally came up with a plan to kill two birds with one stone.
She got dressed that morning in a simple but flattering white dress with black knee-high boots. She put on some makeup but kept it in a light and fresh style. Then she finally styled her hair so that it fell in soft, loose, curls. Once she was satisfied that she she maintained a good balance of beautiful without going overboard she headed over to MK.
Her legal team would be meeting with MK"s today in order to negotiate the terms of her contract. In truth Amelia didn"t need to be there herself, but when she heard that the negotiations would be happening at MK she jumped at the chance to go herself; pretending to be committed to her work and showing MK her sincerity when really she only wanted a chance to meet with Adam.
The negotiations were about as boring as she expected them to be. Amelia sat through them for a while before getting too bored to feign interest any longer. She politely excused herself from the room and made her way to the top of the building, towards one office in particular.
"Amelia," David said in surprise as he saw her approach, "what are you doing here?"
"I"m here as part of the contract negotiations. Is Adam in? I wanted to say hi while I"m here."
"Let me see if he"s free." David disappeared behind the office door, reappearing a moment later. "Go ahead." He said, holding the door open for her.
As Amelia entered his office she was immediately struck by the view.
"I forgot how stunning the view is from up here." She breathed. "I love your office. In the future I want to have a condo done in this style. I can imagine how it must be to be able to overlook the entire city at night."
"What are you doing here?" Adam asked bluntly, but not rudely. Amelia smiled, not minding at all. He was the same as he always was.
"I thought I would show my sincerity by attending the contract negotiations but I forgot how utterly boring these things can be." Amelia responded as she walked towards one of the large bookshelves on one end of the room. "Hey, is it okay if I wait up here for a little while?"
Adam opened his mouth but Amelia didn"t give him a chance to refuse.
"I won"t bother you, I promise. Just for one hour." She pleaded.
Adam gauged her for a moment. "Fine." He conceded. "Just for an hour."
"Thank you." Amelia said with a pretty smile.
True to her word she didn"t bother him at all. She selected a book from one of the shelves and sat down to silently read, occasionally looking up to steal a glance at Adam and enjoy the way his eyebrows furrowed together when he was focused.
All too soon an hour pa.s.sed by. Amelia received a text from her manager that the meeting was over.
"Looks like time"s up." Amelia said lightly. "Thank you for letting me hide out up here."
"No problem. See you." Adam said without looking up from his work.
Amelia returned downstairs and rejoined her party with a feeling of success washing over her, and a smile that didn"t leave her for the rest of the day.